Long Tall Sally, Fillmore West 1/70 wrong venue?

BklynBlue · #1 06-06-2006, 08:16 PM

All right - here is a head scratcher for you all - (maybe not all of you, only the obsessives such as myself)

been listening to one of the more widely circulated bootlegs out there, "Original Fleetwood Mac Blues Band" recorded (as per the boot) at the Fillmore West on 01 / 04 / 70

So, looking at the tracks, and their running order, and listening to the tracks, the first thing that becomes apparent is that this is not a straight recording of a single show - it is a compilation, possibly from multiple sets on the date listed -

But I'm okay with that...

Now listen to the last track - which happens to be one of the best versions of "Long Tall Sally" that this band ever laid down -

Green is heard talking to the audience before the number begins and in thanking them, says it has been great being there and that "...?" is their favorite place - it sounds like it starts with a "T", it most certainly is not "Fillmore" or "Shrine" - his comments do sound like something he would say to a West Coast audience, but I think the track may actually be from their stand at the Boston Tea Party -
The other really strange thing is that there seems to be either a female or a female sounding singer providing occasional back-up through out the number - it most definitely is not Christine!
You could make a case for either Delaney or Bonnie but there is not enough to really tell -
Anybody who has any ideas about this one I would love to hear from them

Thanks in advance

jeremy spencer · #2 06-06-2006, 09:22 PM

The female voice? You'll never guess, but it was none other than .........Janis Joplin! Sitting next to me on the piano stool while I played. That should send u all into a tiz-waz!!! But it's true. And it was the Filmore West 1968. We were on the bill with BB&theHC.

mzero · #3 06-06-2006, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy spencer

The female voice? You'll never guess, but it was none other than .........Janis Joplin! Sitting next to me on the piano stool while I played. That should send u all into a tiz-waz!!! But it's true. And it was the Filmore West 1968. We were on the bill with BB&theHC.

thanks jeremy! amazing, janis joplin. the fmlegacy website lists this as in the short residency 6/20-6/29/68. at the carousel ballroom (aka the filmore west). i can't remember what happened last week,never mind what happened in 1968.

forget reforming the orginal fleetwood mac, bring back earl vince and valiants!

best, zero

HomerMcvie · #4 06-06-2006, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy spencer

The female voice? You'll never guess, but it was none other than .........Janis Joplin! Sitting next to me on the piano stool while I played. That should send u all into a tiz-waz!!! But it's true. And it was the Filmore West 1968. We were on the bill with BB&theHC.

WOW. Jeremy, it is SO great having you pop in from time to time, and answer a question or two. I think I can speak for everyone here, in telling you that we really appreciate it.
I sincerely thank you.

sharksfan2000 · #5 06-06-2006, 11:38 PM

Wow, I hate to disagree with everyone (especially Jeremy), but.....

I do think that track is likely to be from the 4 January 1970 show. The sound quality seems the same as the other tracks, and here's Peter Green's intro to "Long Tall Sally":

".....anyway, I'd like to say once more....I would like to say on behalf of this lot that it was really great. And San Francisco is our favorite place, obviously. It think it would be a bit....a bit strange if it wasn't, you know. Because, I don't know if any of you have been all over the rest of America, but.......stay where you are!"

Also, at the end of the track Green mentions "see you all very very soon, I hope", so it sounds to me like that was the probably from the last night of their stand at the Fillmore West, which would have been 4 January.

The bit about having been all over the rest of America sounds like something Green would have said in 1970, not on their first visit to the US in June of '68. Also arguing in favor of the 1970 date is Green's vocal style (contrast this performance with the "Long Tall Sally" we know to be from 6/68, the one that features Paul Butterfield on harp), plus the fact that there are two guitars plus piano audible on this performance.

But.....I do hear that female vocalist, and it sure does sound like none other than Janis Joplin! Could she have joined in on that number in January 1970? She wasn't on the bill (the poster for those dates lists John Hammond opening and The Byrds headlining), but if she was in town maybe she stopped in? Any thoughts about that theory?

BklynBlue · #6 06-07-2006, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy spencer

The female voice? You'll never guess, but it was none other than .........Janis Joplin! Sitting next to me on the piano stool while I played.

Wow! I can not explain how cool I find it that you for took the time to clear that up for us -
It seems obvious, when listening to the track again, (especially now, knowing who the singer is), that is it Joplin, but I admit that my first reaction was that there was no way that her sitting in with the band would have gone unremarked upon all these years, so therefore it just couldn't have been her -
guess sometimes the most obvious answer is the correct one!

Sharksfan2000 - again, I have to say that I just could not make out "San Francisco", too many syllables, though again, I could not imagine him saying what he did about anyplace other than SF (with the exception of the Tea Party) in Green's comments - either I need new headphones, or a new head

-

Alan Olson · #7 06-07-2006, 10:13 AM

In those days it seems like there was a lot of "guest appearances" and other musicians "sitting in" when bands were on stage if only for a song or two, so it doesn't shock me that Janis being on stage and not being mentioned went unknown for so long. San Francisco was such a lush and diverse musical scene back then that it would have been really difficult to document who showed up and sat in with who on any given date.....Thanks again to Jeremy for stopping by.

bretonbanquet · #8 06-07-2006, 05:27 PM

Well we can clear it up a bit, surely, was it June '68 or 1970... is Danny on there? He joined in August '68, so if he's on there (I don't have the tape), then it's later than that. If he's not present, then it must be June '68.

Also, I recall Dinky Dawson saying in his book that Janis Joplin ambushed Danny and taught him a thing or two... I don't have the book here, but Dawson mentioned her a few times as being present at gigs in certain towns, and she made a point of making a conquest of Danny. Might that have been 1970?

Wouter Vuijk · #9 06-07-2006, 06:21 PM

Wow, some interesting topic.
Jeremy, could you shed some more light on the reactions in this posting?
BTW I love your latest album.

Cheers

jeremy spencer · #10 06-10-2006, 11:41 AM

Maybe it actually was on the second tour we did. 68 going over to 69 (Christmas in Detroit!). I just didn't recall Danny being on that song. He joined about a month after the first tour of the States.
Hope this is helps. Glad you like the CD. I loved making it.

becca · #11 06-10-2006, 01:37 PM

If it was later would Janis have been involved with Full Tilt Boogie Band?

sharksfan2000 · #12 06-10-2006, 01:49 PM

If it was January 1970, she would have been between the Kozmic Blues Band (last show mid-December 1969) and Full Tilt Boogie Band (first show mid-May 1970). If it was January 1969, she would have just started working with the Kozmic Blues Band.

robm · #13 06-13-2006, 03:51 AM

I blasted this cd...and I agree with Sharksfan...sound quality appears to not change, and I make it out as San Francisco...the british accent makes it difficult though, but I listened about 6 times. The female being Janis? maybe. It could be her...I've listened to Dead shows where she joins in with Pigpen, does sound like her a bit....anyway, all very interesting